Ice Love
by Sokizami
Summary: After hearing some rumors of something that especially triggers both of them, Lyon requests Gray's assistance in investigating the case. However, what Gray doesn't expect during the process is discovering his feelings for Lyon and vise versa.


Yoho, first time I'm posting one of my works here! I've originally posted this on AO3 (which is under the same username). I wrote this last month, and I apologize if there is any errors and so D:

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail and its characters.**

* * *

Today was a quite usual day for everyone present at Fairy Tail Guild, normally starting with Natsu who was grinning like an idiot as he walked up to Gray with unworthy insults up his sleeves. The unworthy and unnecessary insults were enough to stir Gray up as he jumped to his feet from his seat by the bar counter, backing into a fighting stance. But of course during the process, he'd to get Natsu back by sending him an insult calling him "Flamebrain". They soon ended up in a brawl, shooting each other ice and fire back and forth, sometimes accidentally setting a table on fire and a victim suddenly got their leg attached to the floor with ice.

For some reason which was normally unknown – not even the smartest one could figure it out – a table was sent flying across the room, almost hitting a poor blonde Celestial Mage but she got saved by an orange haired man in suit who claimed himself to be her knight in shining armor. Somewhere in the background, Elfman who watched the brawl was predicating about how to become a real man, and he ended up being hit on the back of his head by Evergreen with her fan. She scolded him, telling him to stop mentioning nonsensical predications.

Unfortunately for Erza, since Lucy dodged the table with help of Loke who was constantly claiming himself to be her knight in a shining armor – much to Lucy's annoyance, and actually embarrassment – the table continued to fly until it knocked a slice of her beloved strawberry cake off her plate. She didn't even have a chance to enjoy it. As the bitter realization hit her, she trembled in anger before rising up to her feet with swords ready in both hands. She didn't need confirmation, she just knew who the guilty ones were.

As they sensed a dark aura slowly enveloping the atmosphere behind them, both Gray and Natsu stiffened in an instant. They stopped doing whatever they were doing in the first place for no sensible reason, and threw their arms around each other. They turned around to find a rather furious Erza who was breathing heavily.

They tried to save themselves by half-heartedly promising her that they were indeed best friends, not fighting _at all_ , but their reasoning had already long ago left on deaf ears. But before Erza could do anything to punish them for ruining her absolutely important and precious part of her usual routine, the current Guild Master stepped up on the bar counter almost blocking the sight of Mirajane who was busy cleaning glasses. He stopped the fight from proceeding further by shouting audibly, which caught everyone's attention, even Erza got distracted from her anger and snapped her head to look at him.

Satisfied with how it'd turned out and gaining everyone's attention even if it was in fact not necessary, as Makarov only needed a certain Ice Mage's attention. But he had been here long enough to know it was almost impossible to get his attention if Gray was setting his concentration on the brawl completely, so he didn't have any choice but to do so.

Gray couldn't help but notice the way the Master had been staring at him specifically, almost as to quietly request him to follow him to the office. Which made Gray nervous as he quickly listed what he'd possibly done on his previous missions to make the Master disappointed. Could it be that time he _accidentally_ stripped off his clothes in front of civilians in that small town? He wouldn't be too surprised because it wasn't the first time that happened. But he couldn't help his stripping habit either, so Master should be considerate and not scold him…too much.

As he bit his own tongue and put all those unnecessary thoughts aside for the moment, he heard Mirajane mention his loss of clothes. He glanced down to find out that he was indeed in nothing but a pair of boxers.

He flung his arms upwards with a panicked expression plastered across his features. "How did this happen?!"

{}

It'd embarrassingly taken a short while for him to find all his clothes that had been literally everywhere at the guild, his shirt had been behind the bar counter, which was strangely unnoticed by Mirajane. But in the end he was all dressed up, and he soon entered the office, however, there was no denying that he was a slight nervous. Because what could the Master want by him alone and not the other members of Team Natsu? It got to do with his stripping habit, which he was sure of.

He found the Master sitting on the edge of his desk with his legs crossed, Makarov was looking somewhat expectantly at him with a small but genuine smile. It was not a disappointed expression like Gray had almost expected to see, but now he knew it got nothing to do with his habit.

"You are acquainted with the Ice Mage of Lamia Scale, aren't you?"

"Uh yeah," Gray scratched his cheek lazily, not quite understanding why Master had brought up that subject all of a sudden. But as the realization hit him, he stared at Master wide-eyed. "Has something happened to Lyon?"

The Master was stunned at first for a short moment, before he realized he had expressed himself wrong when asking if Gray was acquainted with the Ice Mage of Lamia Scale. He shook his head, brushing it off. "No, not at all," He looked up to meet Gray's gaze that softened in relief. "Actually, Lyon has requested your assistance."

Gray raised an eyebrow in question while tilting his head to one side. He was well aware of Lamia Scale being propped with great and talented Mages, and Lyon could ask whoever for their assistance.

"For what purpose does he need me?" He didn't mean to sound like he was uninterested, but he just couldn't understand why Lyon chose him of all people.

The question made the Master actually look troubled almost as if he didn't know the reason, but he soon hopped down to the floor and folded his arms from behind. He paced around at the office, leaving Gray with unmentioned questions as he didn't have an absolute idea what was going on; not to mention Makarov seemed so…serious.

Then he suddenly stopped in his tracks to look up at Gray. "I have honestly no idea. Lyon asked me to let him talk to you alone."

{}

After the conversation with the Master, Gray immediately got his permission to borrow the Lacrima Communication to contact Lyon. He was suggested to bring the crystal with him down to the back room so they could talk without any form of disturbance, which was bound to happen sooner or later somehow because this guild was Fairy Tail. But it was worth a try, and it wasn't like it was a secret mission.

But of course on the way to the back room, a certain Fire Dragon Slayer couldn't shut his mouth for once. Natsu stomped hurriedly over to him, with a wide toothy grin playing on his lips as he arched an eyebrow at Gray.

"Done something stupid, Ice Princess?"

Instead of getting Natsu back by sending him an insult or so like he normally would do, Gray only shot him a glare before continuing to stroll his way to the back room with the crystal in his hands, leaving behind a stunned Natsu. Natsu glanced over to his fellow guild mates who shrugged in response, being as clueless as himself.

The back room was rarely used because of its small size but it was still big enough for two people. On the end of the room there was a table which was considered to be a good place to put the crystal on. He dropped himself to his seat and scanned his hands around it in an attempt to find anything to start it, but to no luck. He'd never used this kind of communication before, but then the crystal suddenly flashed a picture of no one else than Lyon himself.

He wasn't sure why his heart started jumping happily at the sight of Lyon, maybe because the crystal flashed all of a sudden and he didn't expect it. He chose the latter; it would be ridiculous for his heart to suddenly beat faster than usual because of him.

Gray realized by now that it had been a while he saw or met Lyon, there was no way to circumvent the fact that he actually missed him. But there was no way that he was going to reveal that either, because that would be too absurd.

Lyon seemed like he hadn't changed too much from the last time they met a few months ago – Gray wasn't sure when they met last time, as he had never been the one to keep track – which was somehow a relief. The only difference was Lyon looked older, well he had always been but because of the time-skip on Tenrou Island, everyone else was much older. That was something Gray still couldn't get used to when looking at Lyon.

He soon found himself having stared at Lyon's face in the crystal ball too long, the embarrassment hit him as he abruptly looked away. Possibly before Lyon could catch him but unfortunately for him, he had already been caught long ago.

"It's been a while, Gray," Lyon started breaking the silence that had lasted for some time without both of them realizing it at first.

Gray shifted his gaze to Lyon after quickly recollecting himself, and nodded. "So, what is going on?"

Lyon let out a long sigh, almost sounding like he'd been drained out of exhaustion but he soon put on an expression of seriousness. He leaned forward to prop his elbows on whatever that wasn't revealed in the crystal, his chin resting on his folded hands. "I have heard some rumors."

Gray arched an eyebrow at him in question, silently encouraging him to continue.

"Deliora."

As the mention of that name barely left Lyon's mouth, Gray slammed the palm of his hands on the table hard enough for the crystal to almost flip, shaking the imagine of himself and Lyon. Hearing that certain name was like a venom, it was enough for him to clench his teeth tightly.

Taking a deep breath to calm down, he shot Lyon a nod. "What of Deliora?"

Lyon leaned back into his seat with his arms crossed, and shook his head slowly. "I'm not certain. I heard a few civilans discuss about him, something about attempting to resurrect him. Or something about him being already back somewhere in Fiore."

"That's impossible!"

Gray lowered his gaze to his trembling hands, as the memories of Deliora flashing non-stop in his mind. And of Ur who sacrificed herself using that spell to save him and Lyon, trapping Deliora in Ice Shell after the process.

Also, he couldn't help but remember that he and Lyon parted and they chose their own paths because of that, though Lyon firstly took the wrong one... He clenched a fist on his shirt when remembering it was his fault that all this happened, if only he wasn't too determined to challenge Deliora.

"Gray, what's wrong? You don't seem too well."

The voice of Lyon's snapped him out of his small world, and he gazed up to meet Lyon's concern. Gray managed to give him a smile, but it probably was a weary one as it didn't sit well with him.

Raking a hand through his hair, he took another deep breath. "I'm sorry. It's just...Deliora, you know," He mumbled and didn't dare make eye contact with Lyon, but he could somehow see him nod in response. "But resurrecting Deliora, have they completely lost their minds? Do they not realize that it's suicide?"

He didn't realize how the two questions that were in fact some rhetorical questions, affected Lyon as he lowered his head with a frown expression. However, it didn't take Gray too long to eventually realize what he had said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that," Gray lifted his hands, accidentally talking too fast almost as to sound desperate, which he wasn't but he didn't want Lyon to be reminded of the past. The past was something Lyon wasn't exactly proud of, especially that Galuna Island incident.

He was answered with only silence, leaving him to wonder if he had made Lyon upset. Not wanting that, he was about to apologize only to get cut off by Lyon brushing it off by shaking his head.

"No, I see your point," Lyon looked up to meet his gaze, a small smile tugged the corners of his lips upwards. "It might be only rumors but since it is Deliora, I suggest that we investigate the case."

The suggestion made Gray nod in response, immediately accepting it without doubt. Deliora should be completely gone, forever. And he would do anything to make that happen, with the help of Lyon, of course.

{}

He knew they had been friends in many years since their childhood and yet, they were acting like they were total strangers. They sat on their seats on the train to the destination where the rumors started, and they hadn't exchanged one single word. They had only greeted with a nod at the train station, despite the fact that they hadn't met in a while. Which was strange with the thought of them chatting normally through the Lacrima Communication.

The silence between them was getting on his nerves, making him squirm in his seat in an attempt to get comfortable but to no luck. He tried to have his ankle rest on his other knee, and folded his arms but everything was uncomfortable.

Lyon was completely the opposite as he was staring absently through the window with his folded arms, seemingly not minding the silence at all.

Letting out a long and quiet sigh, Gray put his hands in his lap as he slowly gazed up to Lyon, simply watching his profile. If he had to admit, he found Lyon handsome and it'd be no surprise if there was a trail of ladies seeking his attention, wanting to become his girlfriend. The last word had barely registered in his mind, and he was unconsciously growling in disapproval.

That had unfortunately caught Lyon's attention, he turned his head to Gray with confusion shown in his dark eyes.

"What was that?"

Gray lifted an eyebrow in question, honestly not having a clue what Lyon meant by that.

"I could sense you staring at me, and then all of a sudden you were growling," Lyon explained with a teasing smirk. "Are you being envious of my appearance?"

At first Gray couldn't help but blush a slight of both embarrassment and shame as he'd been caught staring at Lyon, but his expression soon hardened at the last question. He snorted in response and crossed his arms.

"No way would I be envious of your face. In fact, I'm comfortable with my own appearance."

He regretted having admitted to himself that he found Lyon handsome, because Lyon was definitely not handsome with that damn smirk.

"That would explain you as an exhibitionist."

Gray scoffed lightly. "I don't want to hear that from you."

"I don't have too much issues with that habit as I've been learning to control it past these seven years," Lyon smiled proudly while defending himself, to which Gray rolled his eyes at.

"Care to explain why you're topless then?" Gray waved his hand towards Lyon's naked upper body.

Lyon's proud smile disappeared in an instant and got replaced with a frown as he dropped his gaze to notice that his shirt had mysteriously disappeared. He smacked a hand on his forehead, quietly muttering to himself under his breath about Gray's presence that had automatically worsened his stripping habit. But it was audibly enough for Gray to catch up, and of course he made an action to protest, reasoning that it was definitely not his fault.

Lyon only snickered in response as he reached over to pick his shirt up, putting it on before leaning back into his seat. Gray smiled to himself for a moment, thinking about how great it felt to talk to someone he'd known for a long time.

Sure, they fought over every small thing when they were kids but there was no denying that they cared a great deal about each other, almost as if they were real brothers. Gray wouldn't hide the fact that he actually saw Lyon as his big brother.

His heart suddenly got clenched tightly as if something just had grabbed it in a bruising grip, and he found it hard to breathe normally. He crossed his arms while trying to breathe deeply a few times to regain his normal breath.

He had his head turned to the window but he looked at Lyon from the corners of his eyes, and the sight of him left him with an odd tingling feeling in the depth of his stomach. Which was something he'd not experienced before, anyways not towards guys.

Did he really only see Lyon as a big brother?

Maybe he was starting-

"Our destination is next stop," Lyon informed him, unknowingly interrupting Gray from his thoughts.

Gray tucked a hand under his chin, curtly nodding in response with his eyes wide in astonishment, simply surprised with himself. What on the Earthland was he trying to imply to himself? There was no way he felt something more than friendship towards Lyon!

But once again, why did it felt like something was stubbornly tugging at his heart? Most of all, it sometimes was set on beating faster and that happened when he looked at Lyon or when they made eye contact...not to mention, that damn smirk as well.

{}

To say Gray was both surprised and confused would be an understatement, because after leaving the train station Lyon immediately suggested that they should book a hotel somewhere in this small town which was something they hadn't agreed about. They had discussed about investigating the rumors about Deliora's resurrection right at the moment they arrived to the destination.

He'd tried to reason that they should check out the rumors at first, to which Lyon only brushed off with a wave.

"It's late at night now, and we should get some sleep," It was Lyon's turn to reason, and Gray found himself being unable to try to convince him further. He smiled. "Besides, most of the civilians are probably asleep now. They wouldn't be too happy if we ask them about the rumors, would they?"

Gray rubbed the back of his head and averted his eyes, not knowing what to say as he knew Lyon was right. But something told him something was up, but he couldn't put a finger on it. That was why he wanted to finish the investigation as soon as possible so that he could take the train back to home.

That was not that he didn't trust Lyon, because he did without any doubt, but he was feeling nervous around him all of a sudden. He felt like he was being self-conscious for some odd reason.

With Lyon being as the lead, Gray was slowly and quietly walking behind him, following him to where the hotel was. He'd to yet understand why he was being so odd lately, ever since the very moment they met - it felt something had awakened inside him, and he couldn't figure that out. As to why he was suddenly feeling self-conscious with Lyon around.

Maybe it was because he was getting sentimental of something related to himself and Lyon. It didn't really make any sense, but he decided to get stuck with it. For now, until he could figure out the reason he wasn't feeling like himself.

After a while, they arrived to the hotel they were going to stay for the night, or a few nights depending on long they were planning to stay in the town. Lyon insisted on paying the rent for both of them, ignoring Gray's protests. Gray had attempted to pay a part of the rent, but Lyon beat him into by refusing his offer and saying he would do anything for him.

At that Gray decided to retreat for now, he couldn't help but feel how the blood rushed up to his cheeks at the unusual overly kindness of Lyon's. Scratching his cheek absently, he waited for Lyon to finish so that they could go to their shared room.

As fast they entered the room, Lyon immediately stripped his shirt off and flopped down on the couch. However, the sight of him being topless, revealing his naked upper body made Gray yelp all of a sudden and his cheeks would flush to the shade of bright red. He turned around to hide his embarrassment.

"Don't do that all of a sudden!"

"Don't do what?"

Gray turned around again to face Lyon, his expression full of determination. He pointed a finger towards him. "Don't strip just like that!"

Lyon arched an eyebrow at him, sending him a questionable look as he was completely confused; because they were both used to seeing each other naked since their childhood because of their stripping habits. So why would Gray get so worked up about this all of a sudden? Unless...

"Are you suddenly too shy to look at me like this?" He grinned teasingly, as he stood up from the couch to approach Gray, which made Gray tense up. "What is with that sudden change of personality?"

Gray swallowed thickly instead of answering anything as he wasn't sure himself, backing until his back met the wall in the hall. He averted his eyes when sensing Lyon approach him, smirking like a predator that just caught its prey. Soon Lyon slammed his palm above Gray's shoulder on the wall, causing him to flinch.

He lowered his eyes to the floor, his hands scanning aimlessly on the wall in an attempt to find something to clench his fists on, feeling suddenly shy and powerless. Not to mention, with Lyon this close made him lose the ability to breathe normally. All he could feel and hear was his own heartbeats vibrating in his ears, it didn't get any better when he could feel Lyon's breath brushing feathery against his skin, sending him a shiver down his spine.

His breath hitched, every muscle in his body tensed up when Lyon reached over to press his free palm on Gray's cheek, his thumb caressing his lower lip. Lyon urged him to tilt his head upwards to face him, which Gray slowly and nervously obliged.

Seeing the way Lyon was looking at him, boring his eyes into his as if to search for something in particular, made Gray want to look away. But he didn't have the power, feeling as if he was suddenly small in a world where Lyon had the upper hand.

"You... You look so cute," Lyon suddenly blurted that one, making Gray blush. He swept a tongue across his upper lip as he glanced down to Gray's tinted lips.

Gray wanted to tell him to shut up about that ridiculous comment, but Lyon cut him off by cupping both of his cheeks. Lyon leaned in quickly to capture his lips with his own into a gentle kiss, their lips barely touching. Gray stared at him wide-eyed at the realization of being kissed all of a sudden.

Even though they didn't move their lips, only feathery touching as if Lyon wanted to wait for his reaction, Gray couldn't deny that it felt right as it made his stomach flutter with tingling feelings. Reaching up to intertwine his hands in Lyon's, Gray closed his eyes as he angled his head to lean into the kiss, softly returning it.

Lyon moved forward to press himself against Gray, but leaving behind a small and considerate space between them, as they weren't sure what was okay. They were kissing for the first time, the kiss was really gentle but somewhat passionate that sent both of them a stock of pleasures down their bodies. He angled his head to the opposite side to deepen the kiss for a moment, before gathering the courage to ask for an entrance by tugging at Gray's lower lip.

Since it'd been too much for him to handle, Gray decided to pull away to catch his breath, his hands dropping to his sides. He looked away from Lyon with his cheeks flushed, giving it all to fight the urge to pull Lyon down into another kiss. He didn't know what this meant, if they felt something for each other...or if this was only for fun according to Lyon.

He hated the idea of Lyon seeing all this as mere entertainment, when he enjoyed the kiss too much and wanted more.

"I'm sorry," Lyon muttered quietly under his breath as he backed with his head lowered. "I shouldn't make you do something you don't want to."

As Lyon was about turn around to leave, Gray snapped his head to look at him wide-eyed. He hurriedly reached over to stop Lyon by grabbing his wrist. "Wait, Lyon!"

Lyon opened his mouth to say anything in protest, but got cut off by Gray encircling a hand around his neck, pulling him down into another kiss. Surprised by the sudden move, Lyon couldn't help but let out a muffled moan against the kiss, but he soon softened with a smirk as he pushed Gray forward to the wall again. This time, he was completely pressing himself against Gray's body.

Gray gasped quietly at the sensation of being pressed to the wall by Lyon's body, and Lyon quickly took the opportunity to plunge his tongue inside Gray's mouth. Gray fluttered his eyes close as he threw his arms around Lyon's neck, pulling him close and deepening the kiss with their tongues stroking touch for touch.

Both of them couldn't help but moan in pleasure at how good it felt. This amazing feeling sent Gray heat in the pit of his stomach, feeling himself starting to harden. Which caused him to press his legs together, squirming in an attempt to hide because he was ashamed for getting hard just because of a kiss.

However, that was not unnoticed by Lyon as he smirked in satisfaction, reaching down to press the palm of his hand against Gray's crotch. Gray jerked away with a surprised moan, glancing up to Lyon wide-eyed in astonishment, and he tensed up when noticing the obvious lust and desire in Lyon's dark eyes matching his own.

But it still felt embarrassing to have Lyon touch him, since he'd never been touched by a guy before...not any girl either, truth be told. The idea of Lyon being an experienced man made him relieved, but at the same time it was making him envious. Because that would only mean he'd been with women before, though it'd be not weird if he had done that in the meanwhile Gray and the others were gone.

It still didn't sit well with him, because he had this feeling that he wanted Lyon for himself.

Gray soon retracted his arms from Lyon's shoulders to remove his shirt to avoid the warmth that was starting to bother him to no end, and of course he wanted to feel Lyon's bare skin with his body. He sucked in a sharp breath when Lyon dipped his head to attach his lips to Gray's neck, nibbling at the skin gently.

He pulled the belt loop on Lyon's pants close to him, letting out a moan at the way Lyon started fondling his crotch through the fabric.

"You're getting bigger," Lyon breathed sensually against the skin of Gray's neck, sending him a shiver down his spine. "Is it getting uncomfortable in your pants? Do you want me to get rid of it?"

Gray snorted amusingly as he reached down to his belt loop on his own pants, unbuckling it. "I think I am fully capable of getting rid of it on my own, all thanks to this fantastic habit of mine," He yanked the belt off his pants, letting them drop to his feet. "What about you, Lyon? Do you request my assistance in undressing you too?"

He could feel Lyon smirk against his neck, which made him feel like his stomach got tied into a knot in a pleasant way. He tilted his head upwards to give Lyon the better access to his neck. He tried his best to surpass a moan by pressing his lips together, when Lyon gave him a trail of open-mouthed kisses up his neck.

"This time I wish to request your assistance," Lyon started as he gave Gray a last kiss on the neck, before straightening himself into his full height so that he could face Gray. "Please undress me, Gray."

Gray couldn't help but smirk at that one, also there was no stopping the traitorous blush creeping upon his cheeks. "Understood."

As he confirmed that wish, he slowly approached Lyon and reached over to the belt loop on Lyon's pants, curling his fingers around it. However, before he could start working on stripping Lyon off his pants, Gray glanced up with a teasing smile playing on his lips. "Though, I think it'd be better if we were in our bed."

A smirk tugged the corners of his lips upwards, Lyon couldn't help but let a growl escape his throat as he leaned forward to scoop Gray up in his arms. Surprised by the sudden move, Gray yelped and threw his arms around Lyon's neck.

Soon realizing what he had done, Gray narrowed his brow while blushing slightly as he dropped his arms to cross them over his stomach. He couldn't understand why he was much alike a girl at the moment around Lyon.

Almost as if Lyon had just read his mind, he snickered teasingly at him. "Now I see why your teammate calls you Ice Princess," He teased, to which Gray huffed, while walking over to the bedroom where he laid Gray down.

Lyon climbed atop of Gray, propping himself on his palms as he gazed down to Gray who diverted his eyes somewhere. He traced his index finger across Gray's jawline. "Well, you are my precious Ice Princess."

Gray bit himself in the lower lip, trying his best to keep his gaze away. He knew it would be a bad idea, it might ruin the mood they were mutually engaging in. But he had to ask Lyon, to be sure.

"What about Juvia?"

He could remember the day where he and the others returned after seven long years well, as if it'd been yesterday. That was also where Lyon met Juvia for the first time, and he fell for her at the very first sight.

And even if Lyon himself said he eventually realized there was no place for him in Juvia's heart after the Grand Magic Games, Gray could see that he still loved her.

The question caught him off guard as Lyon widened his eyes, not having expecting it all of a sudden, but he soon softened with a shake of his head. "What of her?"

Gray frowned at the way Lyon sounded so nonchalant when speaking about Juvia, almost as if her existence wasn't even acknowledged by Lyon. He did find Juvia annoying for being too obtrusive but despite that, he thought she was an awesome and talented mage when serious.

He glanced up to meet Lyon's troubled gaze, lifting an eyebrow in disapproval directed at his nonchalant speech. "You love her, don't you?"

"No, I don't," Lyon answered too quickly for Gray's liking, without any hesitation. He smiled weakly as he averted his eyes almost as if to show his shame. "I never did."

As he said that he leaned backwards to sit properly, and Gray followed him by propping himself on his elbows. Gray arched an eyebrow at the sudden revelation, wanting to question Lyon's odd behavior since the very first encounter with Juvia.

Gray could remember the times Lyon showing up by Juvia's side all of a sudden to declare his love for her, him constantly seeking her attention… Was all that only an act? If so, for what purpose then?

He opened his mouth to bring that one up, but was cut off by another revelation;

"I wanted you to be jealous, that was why I acted like a love sick fool around Juvia."

"Jealous?" Gray highlighted the word as if he'd never heard it before, lifting an eyebrow, not quite following what Lyon tried to say. "Why would you want me to be jealous of your declaration of love for her?"

He furrowed his brow at his own question, as the idea, and memory of Lyon constantly shouting his declaration of love for Juvia did in fact not sit well with him. That, he realized it by now and he was definitely jealous. But why should he be jealous, it wasn't like they were in a relationship that would grant him the right to jealously?

Lyon attempted to chuckle but it sounded like a tired laugh, instead he only sent Gray a half smile. He reached over to brush a short strand of hair off Gray's forehead. "I, uh," He started but quickly closed his mouth, a blush was visible on his cheeks. He took a deep breath to collect himself before glancing up to Gray. "I wanted you to be jealous because I love you."

Gray stared at Lyon wide-eyed, the color draining on his face, completely stunned as he'd definitely not expected this. He abruptly looked away, feeling like there was a thick stone stuck in the depth of his throat, and his heart was beating crazily that it might get ripped out.

Lyon loved him?

"Since when?" That was all he could think of asking, because he was honestly speechless.

"Since Galuna Island."

Gray snapped his head to Lyon, his mouth hanging open as he took in the information; Had Lyon loved him since the Galuna Island incident? That would only mean...he had loved him for seven years or so, including the Tenrou Island.

He sat up and crossed his legs, reaching up a hand to his lips. "Why haven't you said anything?"

Lyon only shrugged in response, before drawing a long sigh to gather the courage for explanation. "I couldn't do the normal way, I mean, we are both guys. I didn't think you would be interested in me that way," He narrowed his brow, his dark eyes reflected distaste. "I thought there was something going on between you and Juvia, and I...sort of freaked out, trying to make you jealous by confessing my love so openly in your presence."

Gray honestly didn't know what to say or how to react, probably because he had never been confessed to like this - sure, Juvia confessed to him as fast she grabbed the opportunity. But no matter how hard he tried to consider her just for once, Gray could never imagine himself being in a romantic relationship with her.

He was admittedly starting to realize his true feelings towards Lyon, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to jump into a relationship with him right now. He didn't know when it started, maybe it'd already started long ago without his realization, but he was oddly sure he'd liked him for some time. Maybe after the Galuna Island, or when he came to find out about Lyon joining a guild.

Gray smiled to himself before reaching over to place his hand on Lyon's shoulder but he quickly changed his mind. Instead he pressed his palm against Lyon's cheek, much to Lyon's surprise as he glanced up to Gray.

Despite Gray who struggled with his feelings as it all had been new to him, there was no doubt that he wanted to give this relationship a shot. Because it was with Lyon.

"You idiot," Gray shot Lyon a wide but genuine smile. "You didn't need to go that far. I like you too–"

He was suddenly cut off by a pair of lips smashed into his, making him leave a muffled noise against the kiss as he'd not seen it coming. He placed his hands atop of Lyon's shoulders, attempting to push him off. "Wait, let me finish–", He got cut off by another kiss, and this time he responded it with equal passion and hunger.

Lyon grabbed ahold of Gray's shoulders, shoving him gently forward until he hovered over Gray, positioning himself between Gray's legs. He quickly inserted his tongue between Gray's inviting lips, their tongues were soon engaging in a playful battle but also full of lust and desire.

The sensation of their tongues meeting stroke for stroke, swaying around to savor their taste, was awesome enough to make both of them grunt in pleasure. Encircling his arms around Lyon's neck, Gray arched his back slightly to bump himself into Lyon's hip, encouraging him to lower himself. He wanted to feel more of Lyon.

Instead of doing as he was encouragingly commanded, Lyon pulled away breaking the kiss all of a sudden, leaving Gray with a whimper of disappointment. He sat on his knees and glanced down to Gray.

Lyon couldn't help but smirk in satisfaction at the way Gray looked almost intoxicated, with his cheeks flushed and his mouth hanging open as he was breathing heavily. He loved that he was able to incite such a reaction from Gray, and he wanted more, wanted to see more of him...squirming around under his touch, him slipping inside Gray...

The imagination of having sexual intercourse with Gray made him growl in pleasure, as Lyon couldn't wait to make that come true. So with that in mind, he stripped himself off pants in a swift move, a talent he had to thank his magic for. He decided to leave the boxers on, just to match Gray. Besides, he did not want to rush as he wanted to treasure his time with Gray...his Gray.

Gray swallowed thickly when taking in the sight of the bulge beneath Lyon's boxers, his body was tingling with pleasant imaginations of them doing inappropriate stuff. However, as the thought crossed his mind, he couldn't help but feel nervous and a little afraid. He'd never done this with anyone before, and the idea of him doing it with a guy for the first time was somewhat frightening.

But then this was Lyon, someone he could trust with all his heart. That was encouragement, and Gray decided to make sure that there was no rush. Both of them needed time to adjust to their new relationship. With this, he reached over to take Lyon's hand in his, intertwining their fingers.

After gaining Lyon's attention, Gray drew in a long breath, then exhaling as he looked into Lyon's eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't think I'm ready for this," He admitted with a faint smile, and lifted a hand to halt Lyon's protests. "Don't get me wrong, I want this. I really do, but…"

"But what?" Lyon asked worriedly, his eyes full of concern as he was afraid of having gone too far.

Gray was about to open his mouth to continue, but closed when realizing it was too embarrassing to say what he thought of. He sat up to be at the same eye level with Lyon, but they weren't making any eye contact since Gray was looking down at his free clenched fist.

How was he going to say that he wanted to continue what they were doing, but that he didn't want to go all the way? He didn't want to hurt Lyon, he didn't want him to believe that he didn't want this. Because he did, he really did as it was with someone he had developed feelings for.

"I, uh," Gray tried to utter his wish, but instead he only nibbled at his lower lip nervously - why was it damn hard? He gazed up to Lyon who was being considerably patient, a small smile was shown on his lips. It made him feel blood rush up to his cheeks, as he realized he had to get it done. "I want to continue, but do we...have to go all the way?"

Instead of answering his question in an instant, Lyon couldn't help but smile as he leaned forward to pull Gray into his embrace with his arms around him in a tight hold. He pressed a soft kiss on the crook of Gray's neck. "Of course not," He said truthfully, leaning back to face Gray. "There is no rush as we probably need time to adjust to our new relationship. Besides, I don't want to make you believe that I just want sex. I want you by my side, because I love you."

Gray didn't think he could make it anymore, his heart was beating crazily almost painfully because of Lyon's confessions, though there was undoubtedly no denying that it made him overly happy. He took a deep breath before wrapping his arms across Lyon's torso, returning the hug.

"Thank you, Lyon. I really appreciate it," Gray smiled genuinely, resting his forehead on Lyon's shoulder. Before he unconsciously started dozing off because of what had happened – their reunite after a long time, discovering feelings and mutually jumping into a new relationship – he blurted a kind of confession; "I love you too."

Lyon hadn't expected him to say that all of a sudden, because after what he'd seen Gray didn't seem to have realized his own feelings until recently. But nevertheless, it made him happy, of course. He smiled to himself, then leaned in to plant a kiss on Gray's head.

The fact that he was still aroused (Gray too, but he'd already dozed off to sleep) didn't bother him anymore as he could somehow endure it. Besides, Gray's confession was far more important than his arousal. With that in mind, Lyon leaned backwards carefully to lie in the bed, pulling Gray down with him.

{}

It was still hard to understand that this had really happened; going on a sort of mission together with someone from his childhood (the rumors of Deliora being resurrected were false, but the civilians from that town had promised to inform them if it would happen for real), then both of them confessing their feelings to each other which caused them to jump into a romantic relationship. He'd always thought his partner – no, _boyfriend_ had a major crush on the Water Mage from Fairy Tail, who happened to have a crush on Gray. But it seemed to not be the case, as Lyon eventually admitted that Gray was the one he loved, and not Juvia. Ever since the Galuna Island incident, it seemed. Lyon had loved Gray for roughly seven years, which was something Gray still couldn't put in his mind – because how could he have been so oblivious?

Nevertheless, he was overly happy for having Lyon by his side. And he was actually eager to spend the rest of his life with Lyon, though he didn't dare think much further into the future. He wanted to focus on the present.

Gray was actually grinning like an idiot without his realization, which caught Mirajane's attention as she leaned forward to clasp her hands together, her chin resting on them. "Something on your mind?"

Gray snapped his head to look at Mirajane, sending her a questionable look with curiosity shown in his eyes.

"You look like something very good has happened," Mirajane tilted her head to one side, and smiled mischievously. "Have you met someone during that mission?"

Gray couldn't help but blush slightly at the memories of what had happened with him and Lyon, and he was about to deny – they had after all decided to keep their relationship a secret for now, since they weren't ready to announce it officially – when Juvia suddenly showed up by his side. Juvia seemed troubled for some reason, and she abruptly glanced down to Gray.

"Has Gray-sama met someone? Is she Juvia's new love-rival?"

Gray swallowed thickly, realizing that he had no choice but properly reject Juvia, because he was actually seeing someone for the moment. And nothing could change that. But before he had the chance to gather his courage to reject Juvia right here and right now, without considering that they were at the guild, someone swung an arm across his shoulders.

"I'm not a she," The male voice was immediately recognized by Gray, and he immediately looked up to find Lyon with a smirk shown on his lips. Gray understood where this was going and what Lyon was about to do, and he tried to stop him but but got cut off by Lyon dipping his head down to capture his lips with his own into a quick but gentle kiss. "I'm sorry, Juvia-chan but Gray is mine now."

After being kissed like that all of a sudden _in front of everyone at the guild_ , Gray immediately froze. He could hear Mirajane squeal loudly before ending up fainting on the floor, where someone certain from the Thunder God Tribe team rushed over to help her. On the other hand, Juvia was completely frozen as well while trying to take all the information in her mind. Which was an understatement because she'd always been sure that Lyon loved her, and then all of a sudden Gray was Lyon's.

Not being able to take it anymore as she was completely confused, and heartbroken, she turned around to leave with tears shedding down her cheeks. That was where Gray snapped out of it, and he glared hard at Lyon, ignoring the fact that he was actually blushing because of that sudden kiss.

"Why did you do that, you idiot?" Gray mumbled quietly but realized he couldn't stay mad at Lyon for some reason, so he only raked a hand through his messy hair. He wanted to apologize to Juvia, he hadn't expected this to happen but he couldn't move a muscle. Because he wanted to be with Lyon. "I thought we agreed to keep our relationship a secret."

Lyon only smiled in response before leaning in to steal another kiss, completely ignoring the others who were staring at them wide-eyed in astonishment. "I changed my mind. I want everyone to know that you're mine."

Gray released a light sigh as he slapped a hand on his forehead, trying his best to fight a smile. "You're an idiot, do you know that?"

"But you love me anyways."

"That I do," Gray smiled in agreement, before encircling a hand around Lyon's neck to pull him down in another kiss.


End file.
